RUSSIA: The Kremlin Museum unveiled a unique collection of Faberge ornaments yesterday, including nine rare imperial Easter eggs, which Russian industrialist Mr Viktor Vekselberg bought for more than $100 million in a lavish and politically astute act of philanthropy.
Alexander III and Nicholas II, the last tsars to rule Russia before the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, commissioned imperial jeweller Carl Faberge to create the ornate Easter eggs for their wives. They are some of only 50 he ever made.
The intricate, gem-encrusted eggs were the centrepiece of the prized Faberge collection of flamboyant US publisher Malcolm Forbes. Mr Vekselberg, who is thought to be Russia's third richest man with a $5.9 billion fortune, snapped them up in March.
"It is so important for Russian culture that this collection has returned," said Mr Vladimir Voronchenko, chairman of the magnate's fund for art and culture. He said the gold, enamelled and jewel-encrusted eggs held great historical and religious significance for Russians, and that their homecoming evinced a change of heart among the nation's billionaires.
"Everyone who makes money legally should make some contribution [to society]. You can call it the social responsibility of Russian business," he said. President Vladimir Putin has urged Russia's tycoons to spend more on social projects.